ROBOTS HEAD FOR OFFICE POOL 

AUTOMATION FIRST HIT THE FACTORY FLOOR WITH SPEEDED UP METHODS OF HANDLING MATERIALS AND MACHINES. IN THE PROCESS, MUCH OF THE DIRTY, DANGEROUS, HEAVY OR MONOTONOUS WORK PREVIOUSLY HANDLED BY HUMANS WAS ELIMINATED.

SOME OF THESE MACHINES WERE CALLED ROBOTS.

THE FIRST GENERATION OF ROBOTS WHO WERE UNABLE TO SEE, OR FEEL OR THINK, ARE ALREADY TAKING EARLY RETIREMENT (WITHOUT ANY PENSION CHEQUES).

THEY ARE BEING REPLACED BY ROBOTS WHO CAN SEE, FEEL AND, TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, THINK. BUT THE LIFE SPAN OF THESE NEW METAL DRONES WILL NOT BE LONG EITHER.

THIRD-GENERATION ROBOTS, WITH BUILT-IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ARE ALREADY ON THE DRAWING BOARD.

WORKERLESS FACTORIES WILL BECOME COMMON-PLACE. A FEW SUCH FACTORIES EXIST ALREADY IN BOTH THE U.S. (WHIRLPOOL WASHERS) AND JAPAN (FANUC).

'BUT WHAT'S THAT GOT TO DO WITH ME?' YOU ASK. 'I WORK IN AN OFFICE. ROBOTS CAN NEVER REPLACE THE HUMAN TOUCH IN MY WORKPLACE. BRAINS NOT MICROCHIPS WILL ALWAYS BE NEEDED THERE!'

WRONG. AUTOMATION IN THE OFFICE IS HERE NOW. REAL AUTOMATION. A FEW HUMANS WILL STILL BE NEEDED, OPERATING IN NEW POSITIONS AT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL, PERHAPS AKIN TO COMMUNICATIONS MANAGERS OF TODAY.

AND GUESS WHO IS GOING TO REPLACE THOSE THOUSANDS OF STENOGRAPHERS AND SECRETARIES? TECHNOSCRIBES !!

THIS NEW POSITION IS RESULTING FROM A DRAMATIC UPGRADING OF OLD SECRETARIAL SKILLS AND DIFFERS FROM THE WORKERLESS FACTORY, IN THAT ONE HUMAN WORKS WITH THE LATEST COMPUTER TECHNIQUES AND A COMPANY'S BEST THINKERS.

IT IS THE BRAINCHILD OF BERNIE DEKOVEN OF PLAYWORKS! INC., A COMPUTING GROUP IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.

ACCORDING TO DEKOVEN, THE TECHNOSCRIBE IS THE KEY ELEMENT IN WHAT HE TERMS "COMPUTER-ENHANCED MEETINGS".

HE CLAIMS THE NEW TECHNIQUE CREATES A RADICALLY NEW MEETING ENVIRONMENT, IN WHICH A MACINTOSH COMPUTER (LIKE THE ONES USED IN MANY NEWSPAPER OFFICES AND ON MY ELECTRONIC COTTAGE HOUSEBOAT) IS FED DATA FROM MEETING DISCUSSIONS.

IT ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY PROVIDES CHARTS, GRAPHS, SCALES, IDEA FORMATS, ETC., WHICH SPEED UP THE MEETING AND ALLOW PARTICIPANTS TO SEE FAR BEYOND WHAT MIGHT HAVE GONE ON HAD THEY BEEN IN ONE OF THOSE BORING, CONVENTIONAL MEETINGS MAN HAS BEEN HOLDING SINCE BUSINESS BEGAN.

THINK OF HAVING THE RESULTS OF YOUR MEETING DURING THE MEETING! THAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING A SECRETARY CONVERTED INTO A HIGHLY-PAID TECHNOSCRIBE OR TECHNOGRAPHER AS THIS TOP-OF-THE-CLASS GROUP WILL PROBABLY WANT TO BE CLASSIFIED.

OF COURSE, THE TECHNOSCRIBE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN THE OFFICE. NOR DOES ANY OF THE CREATIVE TEAM: THEY CAN BE AT HOME.

INTERCONNECTED BY TERMINALS, THEY COULD "TELECONFERENCE" JUST AS EFFICIENTLY FROM ANYWHERE AROUND THE WORLD AND RECEIVE REPORTS OF THE MEETING WHILE STILL INTERCONNECTED.

THINK HOW THIS WILL CHANGE BUSINESS. CAN YOU USE THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR ADVANTAGE?

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